Chapter 5

Gabriel's POV

The teacher took me to the nurse's office. The strong smell of disinfectant hung in the air. The doctor bandaged my wounds and left.

I lay there all afternoon. Since no one came to change my bandages, I struggled to sit up and carefully removed them myself before dressing my wounds again.

Just then, the door opened. Three guys walked into the nurse's office to treat their scrapes, and the one in front had a buzz cut.

The moment he saw me, he turned and gave the other two a knowing look. "Isn't this the guy everyone's been talking about lately? I can't believe he's into that sort of thing."

His eyes were filled with contempt. "How much do you charge? Do you need me to hook you up with someone?"

All three of them immediately burst into laughter.

"Watch your mouth and get lost!" I shot them a warning glare.

The guy with the buzz cut looked furious. "Who do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like that? Get him!"

He grabbed me by the wrists and held me down. My head started ringing as the other two came over and started kicking and punching me.

Just as I was about to lose hope, the door suddenly flew open. Esther dashed in and hurled the thermos at the buzz-cut guy's head.

"Stop! The dean will be here soon!"

The three of them ran off with their tails between their legs.

Esther turned around and leaned against the door, gasping for breath. The moment she looked at me, her usual gentle expression was replaced with fury.

"Gabriel! Do you really like causing trouble? You're already injured. Why did you have to pick a fight with those troublemakers?"

I stared at Esther, my heart aching, but I couldn't even get a word out.

We had known each other for five years, and this was what she thought of me? Or maybe she had never really known me at all.

Esther gradually calmed down and sat at the edge of the bed. "Since you're that desperate for my attention, I'll stay here and look after you. Happy?"

As she spoke, she opened a new roll of gauze and disinfectant before gently dressing my wounds.

For a moment, I was lost in thought.

In sophomore year, I accidentally cut my hand. Esther crouched in front of me and dressed my wounds, just like what she was doing now. She even cut a single Band-Aid into four pieces before she managed to get it on properly.

Esther stayed by my side for an entire month. She even wrote down the times for my IV drips in her notebook, down to the exact minute.

Back then, I really thought Esther meant everything to me.

"All done. Behave yourself next time. Stop causing so much trouble."

The light overhead fell across her face, and her expression suddenly turned icy. "By the way, could you leave the group chat? Lionel said it's annoying having to tag me when you're still in the chat."

She sounded casual, as if she were simply asking me for a small favor.

"Sure." A bitter smile tugged at my lips. I could no longer hold back my anger.

"If it's really that annoying, I'll quit the group chat. And it's over between us, Esther."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Esther froze for a moment, as if she were trying to process what I had just said.

"I only asked you to leave the group chat, and now you're upset? Are you seriously breaking up with me over this? That's not something you can just joke about. Gabriel, are you even listening to me?"

The nurse's office fell silent for a few seconds. All we could hear was the faint hum of the fluorescent lights.

I didn't respond at all. I turned away, facing the wall, and pulled the sheets up to cover half my face. "Get out."

Esther scowled, as if I were nothing but a hassle. "Forget I said that earlier. You're clearly not thinking straight. I think you need some time to cool off."

Esther shut the door behind her. Her footsteps faded down the hallway until all I could hear was the wind.